Page 50 of First Kiss with a Mothman

“Huh?”

“Never mind.” I try to float forward, but he taps me with one of his branch hands.

“Woah, man. I don’t know what’s happening, but you don’t wanna go in there. The birds are acting wild.” Kovi is not only attuned to the forest, but he’s the groundskeeper. That might extend to this area, but clearly he hasn’t seen Arie. And I need to give chase.

“I don’t care. My friend is in there.”

“If he is, then he’s about to get attacked by a hoard of supernatural birds. And on the night of the blood moon too.”

We both look up, and answers start to fall into place. I recall Arie being able to preternaturally link his brain to Reginald. Maybe this is his monster awakening?

Without saying a word, I fly into the forest. I dodge the low-hanging branches, flapping up and down, and I ignore Kovi in the distance. After a long minute, I catch up to Reginald, then land on the mossy ground. There’s a clearing, free of trees, and I catch my breath as I take in the sight before me.

In the glow of the blood moon, a hundred birds or so flap around in circles. It’s like a giant black-and-gray orb with feathers falling from the sky. In the center, I spot the one person I care about the most.

Arie…is floating in the air. Dozens of birds flap to hold him up, like a throne of dark feathers. And his face and shirtless body are half-covered in feathers of his own.

Just as I suspected: Arie is a bird-type monster. And his shift is making him hover in the forest.

“What the monster god is that?” Kovi yelps.

Before I can answer, Reginald cries at me, hopping up and down on the ground. He’s my only avian ally, and somehow, I can understand what he’s saying.

Arie is in some uncontrolled trance. And I’m the only one who can get through to him.

“Arie…Arie!” I shout over the screeching of at least one hundred birds. Arie doesn’t react; it’s like he’s hypnotized. He’s coming into his monster powers, but he has no control. Who knows how he might hurt himself if I don’t stop this? He’s being held in the air, for monster god’s sake.

I float through the moving orb of birds and get to Arie. Feathers fly in my face, but I bat them away with my hands and wings. Hovering before him, I take in the sight―Arie’s eyes are whiter than usual, and all the birds seem to be supporting him. They’re like an avian army, bending to his whim.

“Arie, baby!” I place my hands on his neck and shoulders, trying to ignore the birds flapping near me. “Arie, listen to me. It’s me, Mort!” Panic rises in my throat. He can’t stay like this forever, right?

I rub his cheek, carefully avoiding the black feathers he now has on his skin. It takes several seconds for him to lean into my touch. After blinking twice, he seems to glance around, like he’s just waking up from a nap. Please, be okay.

“Arie, baby, say something!” The anguish in my voice seems to catch his attention. He shakes his head and his eyebrows furrow. I think he’s trying to interpret what’s going on around him. He touches the feathers that have sprouted on his face.

“Arie!” I shout over the loud bird noises.

“M-Mort?”

“Yes! Arie, stay with me!” I lean in and wrap myself under his arms, like I’m about to carry him. In moments, the feathers on his arms and skin sink back into his body. As he regains lucidity, he appears to be shifting back into human form, thank the monster god. But if he’s not a monster anymore, what happens to the massive flock of birds?

“Woah!” I yelp as Arie falls into my arms. I flap my wings harder to compensate for the new weight. The flock quickly disperses. Arie’s throne of feathers is gone, and he has nothing holding him up―except me, that is.

“What’s going on?” he asks in a horrified shout.

“It’ll be okay.” I wince as birds fly around my face. I’m so thankful that they don’t see me as their next bug buffet meal. Finally, I flap my wings and gently glide us down.

When Arie’s feet touch the ground, we both stabilize ourselves. He catches his breath, and I take a good look at him. Scratch marks appear on his cheek and over his bare torso. But he appears to be in one piece, thank the stars.

Arie continues to breathe rapidly, so I hold him close and kiss his temple. I never want to let him go. The last fifteen minutes have been so harrowing, and I know the fallout has yet to take place. Here, in the glow of the blood moon, I hold the most vulnerable dude I know, someone I care for immensely.

When he begins to sob in confusion, I hold him to my chest. “I got you, baby,” I whisper as I rub his back.

“What is happening?” he murmurs.

I don’t reply, choosing to hold him to calm both of us down. The silence of the forest is almost deafening now that all the birds have up and vanished.

A minute later, I hear a rustling and turn around. “Mort?” Kovi’s deep tree-spirit voice makes Arie tense up.